Kwabena
Maker and role
Artist: Rashaad Newsome, American, born 1979
Year
2017
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Object detail
Media/Materials
Collage on panel in artist-made frame with leather and automotive paint
Measurements
68 1/2 x 68 1/2 x 3 1/2in (174 x 174 x 8.9cm)
Credit line
Museum purchase with the Helen and Everett H. Jones Purchase Fund
Accession number
2017.61
Object type
Department
Location
Further information
Referencing popular culture, artist Rashaad Newsome explores African American and queer identity. The title Kwabena is a masculine given name that originates from the Akan (i.e., Ashanti) people in Ghana. Diamond jewelry, gold watches, and chains are combined with rich fabrics and bright patterns to form a monumental portrait. Newsome melds the trappings of historic nobility with symbols of contemporary wealth and status. The artist-made frame refers to historic Dutch frames but is lacquered with glittery automotive paint and features chain detailing.
Copyright
© Rashaad Newsome
Documentation
Something to Say: The McNay Presents 100 Years of African American Art; René Paul Barilleaux, Lowery Stokes Sims (b.1949); 2018; p. 8, 19
Subject period
Maker
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